Only 41 percent of companies surveyed are considered to have "mature" supply chain risk management processes, but nearly four in five mitigate against disruptions by implementing a dual sourcing strategy, according to a recent report.
The list of challenges facing corporate leaders today is lengthy. It includes globalization, rapidly shifting market dynamics, fallout from the European debt crisis, and a potential slowdown in Asia. It is unclear how these economic trends will play out and what impact they will have on industries and countries. Companies will also be faced with unexpected turbulence, whether in the form of adverse changes in their business or the arrival of tough new competitors. All this makes it more critical than ever before for corporate leaders to closely scrutinize the cost side of their income statement.
Demand management as a pursuit, a skill, a function and a set of technologies has grown considerably in importance due to new ways to reach customers and new ways to analyze data about them. Intense competition for product companies and retailers and the squeeze on margins challenge companies to get a lot better at planning.
This is one of the great barriers to lean implementation: Concepts of lean are both counterintuitive and counter-cultural. Hence, if you wish to be a lean leader, you must go back to the basics and make sure you have a clear understanding before you are able to teach others.
As the U.S. looks to forge a path for sustainable economic growth for the nation, there is a powerful business tool that can help U.S. industry to fuel business performance and drive growth. It's called standardization. This tool can help tap into new and expanding technologies. It can help businesses out-innovate competitors in the global market. And it can help you cut costs and boost your bottom line.
Third-party logistics companies with experience in Mexico and strong partnerships with leading Mexican carriers and customs brokers can make cross-border shipping a truly seamless activity, says Dennis McCaffrey of XPO Logistics.
The hospital supply chain is becoming more strategic and taking a more prominent role in guiding decisions that weigh clinical outcomes against the costs of medical supplies, devices and prescription drugs. But it still has a long way to go.
A radical new blueprint for how Britain's NHS buys everything - from rubber gloves and stitches to new hips, building work, bed pans and temporary staff - has been unveiled by health minister Dan Poulter.
Companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint need to pay attention to the energy they use. But at least as important - and in some cases even more so - is paying attention to the energy used by links in their supply chain.
